Coloradans with a soft spot for clay pigeons

A New York Times/CBS News/Quinnipiac University poll unveiled Wednesday provides more evidence that the public’s views on gun control are not, shall we say, consistent.

The poll says, for example, that 58 percent of Coloradans support a ban on high-capacity gun magazines, which allow a shooter to fire and fire without reloading.

Lest you think Coloradans have joined arms with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, however, the same poll found that just 38 percent of likely Colorado voters think gun laws should be stricter. Meanwhile, only 30 percent say they believe tougher gun laws would prevent the sort of mass killing we saw in Aurora.

Clearly some of the same Coloradans who favor restrictions on magazine size must oppose tougher guns laws in general and also believe that mass shootings won’t be prevented by tighter regulations. How can they reconcile all of these positions? Why would you favor restrictions on magazine size, for example, if you didn’t also believe they’d reduce the likelihood of mass shootings?

Maybe they believe trap shooters shouldn’t be able to fire more than 10 bullets in a row. Are these Coloradans who harbor a soft spot for clay pigeons?